Best of the best to play football, basketball in high school
For the first time, the NBA held its annual draft in the middle of the NFL season, which led us to wonder: Who are the greatest football-basketball dual athletes in high school history?
This is the second half of the top 50 list compiled by Maxpreps.com.
To give parameters to our list, we tried to only include athletes who earned All-american honors in at least one of the sports or played at the professional level in one of the sports.
The accomplishments listed are from their prep careers along with the year they graduated from high school.
Top prep dual-sport athletes
26. Donovan Mcnabb, Mt. Carmel (Ill.), 1994
Football: Helped lead Mt. Carmel to a state championship as a sophomore. Earned second team all-state honors as a senior.
Basketball: An all-area selection, Mcnabb averaged 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds as a senior.
27. Joe Montana, Ringgold (Monongahela, Pa.), 1974
Football: Made the Parade AllAmerican football team en route to a Hall of Fame NFL career.
Basketball: Helped lead Ringgold to a state championship as a junior and was all-state second team as a senior.
28. Mark Rypien, Shadle Park (Spokane, Wash.), 1981
Football: Made the all-state team and finished with 6,460 yards passing in his career.
Basketball: A two-time All-city player in basketball, along with fellow Spokane standout John Stockton.
29. John Havlicek, Bridgeport (Ohio), 1958
Football: Was a second team allstate selection as a quarterback as a senior.
Basketball: The NBA Hall of Famer averaged 29.6 points per game while earning all-state first team honors as a senior.
30. Ed Mccaffrey, Allentown Central
Catholic (Allentown, Pa.), 1986
Football: The future NFL receiver earned all-state second team honors as a senior but he was also a Parade All-american.
Basketball: Led team to two state championships and was a second team allstate center with over 1,000 career points.
31. Terry Baker, Jefferson (Portland, Ore.), 1959
Football: Quarterbacked Jefferson to a 23-0 record over two seasons and went on to win the Heisman Trophy at Oregon State.
Basketball: The leading scorer on the basketball team, Baker went on to play basketball at Oregon State.
32. Wallace Jones, Harlan (Ky.), 1945
Football: Twice earned all-state honors as an end and played football at Kentucky.
Basketball: Jones was three times all-state in basketball, finishing with 2,398 points in his career. Earned All-american honors at Kentucky.
33. Dwight Eddleman, Centralia (Ill.), 1942
Football: Earned all-state honors in football and went on to be one of the top college punters in the nation.
Basketball: Finished his high school career with 2,702 points to set a national record. A twotime All-star in the NBA.
34. Jackie Robinson, Muir (Pasadena, Calif.), 1937
Football: Robinson earned All-southland honors by the Los Angeles Times and played football at UCLA.
Basketball: Earned recognition as one of the top players in Southern California and played
basketball at UCLA.
35. Otto Graham, Waukegan (Ill.), 1939
Football: Made the allstate team and went on to an NFL career with the Cleveland Browns.
Basketball: All-state as a junior, Graham graduated early his senior year. Went on to play in the NBL with the Rochester Royals.
36. Billy Kilmer, Azusa (Calif.), 1957
Football: An ALL-CIF selection as a quarterback, Kilmer went on to play quarterback at UCLA and in the NFL.
Basketball: The ALL-CIF Player of the Year, Kilmer scored 900 points as a senior and 1,901 points in his career. Also played for John Wooden at UCLA.
37. Steve Spurrier, Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.), 1963
Football: A future Heisman Trophy winner, Spurrier was an AllAmerican quarterback.
Basketball: An all-state selection, Spurrier received a basketball offer from Tennessee.
38. Joe Burrow, Athens (The Plains, Ohio), 2015
Football: The future Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, Burrow threw for 11,416 yards in his career with 157 touchdown passes. He was the Gatorade State Player of the Year.
Basketball: Earned allstate first team honors as a point guard.
39. Nate Robinson, Rainier Beach (Seattle), 2002
Football: An all-state running back, Robinson earned a football scholarship to Washington.
Basketball: The future 3-time NBA dunk contest champion was the Class 3A state Player of the Year while leading Rainier Beach to a top 10 national ranking.
40. John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg (Calif.), 1949
Football: A member of the NFL Hall of Fame, Johnson was an AllAmerican as a senior with 870 yards rushing and 90 points scored.
Basketball: Earned All-northern California honors while averaging 16 points per game.
41. Sage Surratt, Lincolnton (.C.), 2017
Football: Caught 130 passes for 2,104 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior. Finished with 366 catches for 5,926 yards and 80 touchdowns.
Basketball: Finished his career as the second all-time leading scorer in North Carolina with 2,951 points. Averaged over 30 points per game as a junior and senior.
42. Jacoby Brissett, Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), 2011
Football: Brissett led Dwyer to a state championship as a junior and threw for 2,473 yards as a senior.
Basketball: The two-time state Player of the Year, Brissett averaged 15 points per game as a senior while leading Dwyer to a state championship.
43. Joe Girard III, Glens Falls (N.Y.), 2019
Football: Threw for
3,162 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior and finished with 6,715 yards in his career. Helped lead Glens Falls to a state championship as a sophomore.
Basketball: The all-time leading career scorer in New York history with 4,763 points and a state championship as a senior. Averaged 50 points per game as a junior and 39 per game in his career.